With two Admirals already making their moves, the last one, Kizaru, had no excuse left to remain idle.
His body dissolved into particles of light as he rose into the air, positioning himself directly in front of Whitebeard. Crossing his hands, he began gathering radiant energy.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
A barrage of light bullets rained down from his fingertips, streaking across the battlefield. Before they could reach Whitebeard, a figure intercepted them once again.
Marco spread his blue fla wings and surged forward, his phoenix fire colliding with the incoming light. Flas and beams clashed midair, neither side giving way.
After confirming that every attack aid at Whitebeard had been blocked, Marco fully transford into his phoenix form and charged straight toward Kizaru. He did not evade the incoming light attacks, instead enduring them head-on. His regenerative flas healed him continuously as he closed the distance and delivered a powerful kick.
A heavy impact rang out.
Kizaru raised a single arm to block, but the force of Marco's kick, reinforced with Armant Haki, pushed him back. His body scattered into light, retreating with the montum before crashing into a distant structure.
Monts later, Kizaru reford, completely unscathed.
Marco's expression grew serious.
"Admirals really are troubleso."
Kizaru adjusted his posture, returning to a relaxed stance. For now, he showed no intention of pressing the attack further. At this stage of the war, reckless moves from top-tier fighters could create openings. Timing was everything.
With a lazy tone, he spoke again.
"The commanders of the Four Emperors are quite terrifying."
The two continued to watch each other from a distance.
As the Admirals, the Warlords, and the commanders all joined the battle, the war escalated rapidly. The battlefield beca so intense that no one could remain uninvolved. So Marines, overwheld by the chaos, began to consider fleeing.
They had no idea that such thoughts would lead them straight to death.
Suddenly, the sound of massive footsteps echoed across the battlefield.
A giant figure erged from the sea.
Little Oars Jr., nearly fifty ters tall and a descendant of the legendary Continent Puller Oars, stepped onto the frozen battlefield.
His presence alone brought imnse pressure upon the Marines. With a single swing of his blade, he carved a massive trench across the ice. He moved like a living siege weapon.
Sengoku, observing everything from above, issued his command.
"Giant Vice Admirals, advance. Do not let him reach the execution platform."
Even if Oars was not among the strongest, his sheer size made him a serious threat to the Marine formation.
The Giant Vice Admirals charged forward, but compared to Oars, their fifteen-ter bodies seed insignificant. Despite working together, they were quickly overpowered.
One after another, they were forced back.
Oars continued advancing.
Whitebeard raised his voice.
"Cover Oars. Push forward and break through."
Protected by the surrounding pirates, Oars pressed on, his eyes fixed ahead.
"Ace, I'm here to get you out."
Hearing those words, Ace's composure broke. Tears gathered in his eyes as the will to live surged back within him.
Then, without warning, a white bubble shaped like a paw appeared in front of Oars.
It burst instantly.
A compressed shockwave exploded outward, sweeping across the battlefield. At the center, Oars was struck directly. His massive body trembled as blood erupted from his wounds, his condition turning critical in an instant.
Bartholow Kuma had made his move.
The power of the Paw-Paw Fruit allowed him to compress and release air into devastating shockwaves.
Despite his injuries, Oars did not retreat. Knowing he could no longer continue fighting for long, he chose to strike back.
His massive hand ca crashing down toward Doflamingo.
Doflamingo smirked and leapt aside, avoiding the attack with ease. In the next instant, invisible strings flashed through the air.
Oars's leg was severed.
His balance collapsed, and his enormous body tilted toward the execution platform.
From the side, Gecko Moria laughed wildly.
"Oars's corpse will belong to . Shadow Spear."
A dark spear ford in his grasp and shot forward, piercing through Oars's jaw.
Under the combined attacks of three Warlords, the giant fell.
His collapse shook the battlefield.
Marine morale surged imdiately, and their formation stabilized. The pirates, having lost their breakthrough point, were forced back into a stalemate.
Elsewhere, ten minutes earlier.
On the open sea near Marineford, a small sailboat cut through the waves at high speed.
Aether stood at the front, with Rayleigh beside him. In the distance, the towering Gate of Justice ca into view, already open.
Aether let out a relaxed breath.
"Good timing. If that gate was closed, you would have had to climb it yourself, Rayleigh."
Rayleigh chuckled.
"If anyone's climbing, it's you. Still, this saves us so effort."
Even at his age, the thought of returning to such a battlefield stirred sothing within him.
Suddenly, the sea began to recede.
The water level dropped rapidly, dragging the ship backward.
Aether and Rayleigh exchanged a glance.
"Whitebeard's Seaquake."
Monts later, the ocean behind them surged upward. A towering tsunami rose, blocking out the sky as it advanced toward them.
Neither of them showed fear.
They had experienced far worse in the past.
"It might actually speed us up. I was starting to think we'd arrive too late and Ace would already be dead."
With precise coordination, two slashes cut through the edge of the tsunami, stabilizing the ship. Riding the wave's montum, they surged forward toward the Gate of Justice.
As the currents passed through, the massive waves suddenly froze solid. Ice spread rapidly across the surface.
Adjusting their course, the two guided the sailboat away from the frozen crest and continued toward the harbor.
Most of the outer pirate ships had already been trapped in ice. Only a few specialized vessels could break through, leading the remaining forces toward the battlefield.
At the outskirts, smaller pirate crews clashed fiercely with Marine forces. Among them, Squard stood out, wielding his massive blade and forcing several Vice Admirals into retreat.
Unnoticed, Aether and Rayleigh's small boat reached the frozen edge of the battlefield.
They stepped onto the ice.
They had arrived.
"Don't push yourself too far, Rayleigh. Your old bones might not hold up."
Rayleigh snorted.
"You should worry about yourself."
The two advanced casually, dealing with any Marines who stood in their way. Ahead, the fallen body of Little Oars Jr. ca into view.
Even Aether paused briefly at the sight.
Then, the ice beneath them shifted.
A massive figure burst upward from below.
A Giant Vice Admiral, previously knocked down, had risen again. Without hesitation, he swung his enormous cleaver straight toward Aether and Rayleigh.
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